Samuel Thimothy

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Let’s talk about why B2B businesses often struggle with developing a brand personality and how you can build a brand personality that resonates with your target audience.

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As the modern workforce evolves, the appeal of hybrid work environments has become increasingly apparent. While fully remote work may not be feasible for every company, adopting a hybrid work solution can be an attractive perk for both potential and current employees. Transitioning from a fully on-site setup to a hybrid environment, however, requires careful planning to ensure a smooth and successful shift. If you're ready to embrace the hybrid work model for your company, read on for 11 expert tips recommended by Young Entrepreneur Council members.

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Trust comes from showing competence, integrity, reliability and empathy in all interactions with B2B buyers.

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While LinkedIn is a great place to connect with others in your space and share your unique perspective on industry problems, engagement isn't always guaranteed. Because the platform boasts over 930 million members, if you aren’t being intentional about your LinkedIn strategy, your content may not even get noticed. However, if you’re looking to seriously up your LinkedIn game and give your engagement a major boost, consider the following advice from the members of Young Entrepreneur Council. Here, they outline nine steps any professional can take to increase engagement with their content and why these methods work so well.

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When it comes to B2B digital marketing, some misconceptions can damage your success if not addressed correctly.

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Even the slightest changes can go a long way in creating a positive customer experience. Customer service is a critical aspect of any business, and it can make or break the company's reputation. Fortunately, providing a positive customer experience doesn't have to be a taxing or expensive undertaking -- even the slightest improvements can make a significant impact. For some simple yet effective strategies to improve your company's customer service, read on for eight tried-and-true tips from a group of successful entrepreneurs.

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As much of customer service is now conducted through live chat or social media, ensuring your teams are properly trained on best practices for written communication is paramount to your success. When your staff can not only educate and serve your customers but also connect with them in a meaningful way, you’re much more likely to build a loyal following that will want to recommend you to their family and friends. According to the members of Young Entrepreneur Council, keeping these 11 tips in mind when engaging with customers in a written format can help ensure your communication is clear, helpful and likely to earn you the trust and loyalty of your customers.

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In business, your word is everything. Your reputation is built on the promises you make and keep.

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The field of marketing is a broad one, encapsulating nearly every aspect of promoting a product or service. It's also an industry that continues to evolve rapidly, particularly in the era of digital and content marketing. As new professionals enter this world, they may have an incomplete understanding of what it takes to be successful. Here, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council share nine common misconceptions new professionals have about what it takes to be a good marketer and what they should be doing instead.

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While the way a first meeting goes may not always make or break a deal, putting your best foot forward is much more likely to lead to a good result—especially when it comes to a potential new business partner or client. The first impression you make could set the tone for your whole relationship, which means it’s vitally important to strive for a positive one. To help you do this, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council offer nine of their top tips for ensuring you make a great first impression with a potential partner or client, and explain why using these methods will be so beneficial for the future of the relationship.

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Podcasting has become an increasingly popular medium for businesses to build their brand and connect with audiences. However, launching a successful podcast requires more than just recording and uploading episodes. Many podcasts fail to gain traction and reach their target audience, leaving business owners wondering what went wrong. Below, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members share essential tips for podcasting successfully. By following these tips, businesses can maximize the potential of podcasting as a marketing tool to achieve their goals.

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Below are the most common mistakes businesses make when developing their acquisition strategy and steps you can take to improve your organization's approach.

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Social media has become an integral part of modern-day marketing strategies, enabling companies to reach out to their target audiences more efficiently than ever before. With the proliferation of different social media platforms, it's crucial for companies to maintain a consistent brand voice across all channels. This not only helps in establishing a strong brand identity, but it also enables companies to effectively engage and inform their audiences. To share their insights on how to do this, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) experts reacted to the following question:

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There can come a time for many established businesses when processes become overwhelming, projects start running off track and tech stacks can get too complicated to function cohesively. All of these signs point to a need for simplification—a “decluttering” of the business and its systems. Taking the time to review what’s no longer necessary, keeping only what adds value to the business, is essential if you want to streamline your processes—but where should you begin? Below, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council offer a few suggestions for where you can start as well as what you might want to get rid of or reconsider this year and beyond.

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Here's a look at the trends marketers should be watching out for in 2023 to make sure their strategies stay ahead of the curve.

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Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or you’ve recently opened a business, you’re likely thinking about all the skills you’ll need to make your business thrive. While different types of businesses will require different skill sets of their owners, there are several skills that are universally useful across the small-business landscape. To share a few of their top picks, 10 members of Young Entrepreneur Council sound off below. Consider their recommendations if you’re looking to improve your leadership skills and better manage the day-to-day operations of your current or future business.

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Success as an entrepreneur takes more than just a good business idea -- you also need to have the right mindset. When it comes to entrepreneurial success, your state of mind is critical. Approaching your business with positivity and a goal-oriented mindset not only helps keep you motivated through the ups and downs, but it can also inspire and encourage your team to work together toward common goals. Below, a group of successful business leaders share some of the actions you can take to cultivate an "entrepreneurial mindset" and how doing so themselves has impacted their careers. Read on to learn how to apply these philosophies to your own day-to-day life.

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When an employee succeeds at work, leaders should make sure that employee feels recognized for their efforts. Rewarding your staff members for a job well done not only motivates them to continue to work hard, but it also inspires others to reach the same goal. To help you reward hardworking employees for excellent performance, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) members answered the following question:

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Let’s figure out how we can generate more B2B opportunities while remaining understanding, supportive and empathetic to our prospects and clients. 

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Like conducting an end-of-year performance review for your team members, conducting an end-of-year review of your company’s performance can help you glean insights about where your company is currently at and where you want it to go in the future.  These reviews can include anything from reviewing your finances to realigning with your original mission and vision, but according to the members of Young Entrepreneur Council, there are a few elements you’ll want to be sure you don’t miss. Below, they discuss nine of the elements you’ll want to include in your company’s end-of-year review and why, as well as how doing so can help set you up for a better new year.

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Becoming an overnight success is every entrepreneur's dream, but when it actually does happen, it can rapidly turn into an overwhelming nightmare if you aren’t prepared for the influx of new customers and orders. Rather than allowing yourself to be buried by the consequences of your success, finding a way to scale your business quickly can ensure you keep up with rising demand. But to do so, you’ll want to consider the following advice from the members of Young Entrepreneur Council. Here, they discuss their best tips for scaling a business quickly and the steps you won't want to miss if you find yourself suddenly successful.

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With careful planning and execution, you can weather this storm and come out stronger on the other side.

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When you decide to become an entrepreneur, there are certain obstacles you know you’re going to have to face—obtaining funding, advertising your business or making that first sale. However, there are often many more obstacles you won’t be prepared for or didn’t even realize would happen. However, with the right strategies and plans in place, each of these hurdles can be overcome. For more insights on how to prepare for these hardships, consider the following advice from the members of Young Entrepreneur Council. Here, they each discuss one obstacle they faced in their career that they never thought to prepare for when they started their company and how they recommend other leaders prepare.

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A toxic workplace can lead to lower-quality work, a decrease in productivity, and employee dissatisfaction—all of which may lead to staff turnover. When you’re a leader, it’s important to address the signs of a toxic workplace as soon as you notice them in order to avoid cultivating a negative company culture. To help you deal with a toxic work environment, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members explain what signs to watch out for and how to address issues head-on before they spiral into a bigger problem.

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There's a strong learning curve to leadership, but newly promoted managers should aim to avoid these key mistakes. When you’re starting out as a new boss, there are a lot of priorities to balance and decisions to make. Often, it can feel like you're being pulled in several different directions throughout the day, so much so that it can be difficult to focus on just one thing. As a result, new bosses often make mistakes. They may struggle when it comes to delegating work, communicating or even hiring the right people. Below, a group of successful entrepreneurs shared the biggest mistakes they made as first-time bosses and what they would do differently if given the opportunity.

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Let's dive into why you shouldn’t outsource your content and how to manage content creation internally.

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From DiSC to Myers-Briggs, there’s no shortage of personality tests available today. While leaders often use these tests to better understand their current teams, personality assessments can also provide critical information on prospective hires. Here, nine members of Young Entrepreneur Council share what you can learn about candidates through personality assessments—and what you can’t—and how they can be useful in finding the right talent for your team.

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Resolving conflicts in the workplace is imperative to a healthy workplace culture. Leaving conflicts unsolved builds resentment among team members and creates a toxic environment that can be distracting from the work that needs to be completed. As a leader, it's your job to help resolve any conflicts that arise and act as a mediator between employees when necessary. Properly handling conflict resolution can also help influence employees to better solve future conflicts on their own. To help get you started, 10 Young Entrepreneur Council experts share different ways they recommend approaching conflict resolution and the example that sets for your team.

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In the early days of your startup, investors can make or break your business. Failing to bring on new investors can mean pushing back the launch of your service or product, or delaying a major hire or purchase. That’s why it’s so important to connect with investors from the start and to pitch your business in the right way. Here, nine Young Entrepreneur Council members share tips for practicing your pitch to potential investors and what to keep in mind before the big day.

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When a professional’s goal is to be an industry thought leader, the natural first step is to get their ideas out into the world. For many, this means writing an article. But once you’ve written an article—or many, many articles—what else can you do to show off your expertise and connect with others in your space? Thankfully, the journey to becoming a thought leader doesn’t end with writing, and there are a myriad of ways professionals can promote themselves online or in person. To offer their insights, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council each share one step a professional can take to become an industry thought leader and why these actions are so effective.

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While there are a lot of "right" things to say during a sales conversation, there are also some “wrong” things that could turn a potential customer away. Sales calls can be high-pressure situations for a sales rep, as it can be difficult to hit all the right notes and say the right things to convert a prospect into a paying customer. But just as important as knowing what to say is knowing what not to say. For instance, immediate questions about budget and when to follow up might be perceived as pushy and turn a potential customer off from working with you. To help sales teams avoid this fate and instead win their prospects over, a group of successful entrepreneurs explain which questions to avoid during a sales conversation and why.

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Receiving a bad review for your product or service—no matter if it’s your first bad review or your 50th—can often feel like a personal attack. After all, entrepreneurs often put a lot of themselves in their businesses, including time, effort and passion. But a bad review doesn’t have to be a negative issue. In fact, it can be a great opportunity to learn. When responding to the review then, you’ll want to keep certain best practices in mind. Below, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss a few of those practices and why entrepreneurs should follow them when determining how to handle any bad review their business may receive.

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As companies continue to face supply chain issues across the board, many are looking for solutions to help them get back on their feet and heading toward “business as usual.” Even when the current supply chain storm passes, savvy business leaders will be looking ahead and preparing for the next time processes go awry.  To help, nine members of Young Entrepreneur Council share their advice for how entrepreneurs can weather the current supply chain storm, and explain how these tips can help them build better processes for the future.

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While nearly every role has some degree of creativity involved in its duties, heavily creative roles such as those in social media content creation, marketing, video production, copywriting and more naturally require a different skill set from those roles that may rely more on logical or analytical thinking. When hiring for these roles, then, employers will be basing their decisions on a different list of desired traits and skills. So what exactly should aspiring creatives be focusing on improving or highlighting on their resumes? Below, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council share nine skills and traits they look for when hiring for a creative role and why a candidate who possesses them is so appealing.

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Choosing the right software as a service (SaaS) tools for your business can prove to be a Herculean task. Whether it's for accounting, marketing or HR, it's important to choose software that will grow with your business and offer ongoing support for your questions and needs. It's also important to consider how well your SaaS selections will integrate and communicate with each other. As you make your decisions, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council recommend asking yourself the following 10 questions. You might find that the answers can help make assembling your SaaS stack a little bit easier.

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When you hire great talent, you do so with the hope that they will be effective and productive in their work, overcoming challenges and meeting and exceeding goals. But even the best employee can’t accomplish much if they aren’t given the opportunities or the tools to do so. As a leader, you can help empower your staff to do their best work—but first, you’ll have to figure out how. As leaders themselves, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council have had plenty of experience experimenting and figuring out what motivates their teams best. Below, they each share one tip they’d recommend you consider for empowering your employees to do their best work and why.

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When an entrepreneur brings on a business advisor, they often do so with the intention of gaining sound insight and advice—finding that “second opinion” that can help steer their business in the right direction. But, many times, an advisor turns into something more: a true mentor who can offer guidance, support, motivation and understanding when times get tough, as well as the advice needed to help get you back on your feet. When thinking about the advice from their own business advisors, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council have a few key tips that come to mind. Below, each member shares one piece of sage wisdom their business advisor gave them, and why they consider it to be one of the best pieces of advice they’ve ever received.

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Choosing an investor for your business is like choosing a business partner: Their resources and input are going to have a major impact on the way your business functions and the potential it has for success. Determining the right investor for you, then, is not an endeavor to take lightly. As business leaders, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council have experience seeking investors and weeding out the bad from the good. Below, they provide a list of nine questions you can ask yourself to gain insight into your needs and wants, and help you determine your ideal business investor.

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While they may be effective in drawing in more customers, many ad campaigns come and go, doing just enough to catch audience attention and increase brand awareness. However, there are other campaigns that truly stick with an audience—be it a niche group or even an entire generation. These campaigns are not just memorable, but they’ve often become part of popular culture. Whether it’s with their humor, their emotion or their important message, these ads inspire and entertain all while teaching other companies what makes a truly effective campaign. Below, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council describe the ad campaigns they greatly admire and the lessons they’ve learned about advertising and beyond.

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Live video is in high demand among social media audiences, but developing content that truly captivates people requires the right strategy. On nearly every major social media platform, live video has proven to be an effective way to draw in new audiences and boost engagement. However, creating good live video content can be a real challenge. Your audience will be responding in real time and you need to make sure that the content you've prepared is polished enough for a live stream. The content also needs to be engaging enough to keep your audience watching. If you're looking to incorporate live video content into your marketing strategy, follow these tips from a group of successful entrepreneurs. Their secrets to success will help you develop content people actually want to watch (while also boosting your sales).

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Having several lead generation strategies in place is much more effective than having just one.

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When it comes to employees taking vacations, it’s all about achieving balance. Too many staff members off at once can cause heavy workloads and stress for the remaining team, but too few staff members taking time off can also mean your team isn’t getting the rest and relaxation they need to do their best work.  Encouraging time off, then, is necessary for a happy and healthy workforce. However, to prevent work from piling up while staff is away, leaders will need to take a few proactive steps. Below, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council each share one thing a leader can do to help prevent overwhelm and stress for their team while others are away.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council offer tips that first-time founders might forget to think about. Planning the nuts and bolts of your business is a key first step to starting off with the best chance at success. Determining what the product or service will be, what to name the business, whether it’ll be strictly e-commerce or a brick-and-mortar store and many other considerations are all at the top of the to-do list for new entrepreneurs. Other aspects of launching a business may fly under the radar, however. Below, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members lists some unheralded aspects of starting a business that first-time entrepreneurs may not be planning for and why they should if they want their businesses to thrive now and in the future.

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When you have an idea—whether it’s a simple tweak to an ongoing project or a major overhaul to an ineffective work process—and you want to share it with your manager, pitching it can be as simple as walking into their office or messaging them on Slack and explaining the idea. However, if you want to ensure your pitch is successful, you may need to think through your overall strategy first. As business leaders, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council have listened to many pitches from their employees. In order to help you succeed, they recommend the following 11 tips for pitching an idea to your manager and explain why this advice will help you sound a lot more convincing.

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It's often said that “the devil is in the details”—and getting them wrong could mean the difference between a successful and unsuccessful project. If you’re working on a major project requiring attention to fine details, it’s important to keep your team organized and to have a plan in place. You may also benefit from prioritizing certain tasks and holding team members accountable throughout the project's life cycle. To help you maintain organization during a complex project, nine members of Young Entrepreneur Council explain some key strategies for keeping your team on the right track.

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With so many forms of digital communication available, the traditional cold phone call may seem like a lesser form of gaining a sale or finding a business partnership. Some people may believe that cold calling will only lead to rejection—or worse, mid-call hang-ups. However, there are still ways to effectively cold call about prospective business transactions that will lead to success.  Below, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council each detail a strategy they have for effective cold calling and why it works so well. Rather than dismissing cold calls as a sales tactic, try these thoughtful and personal approaches out.

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An effective sales strategy involves a precise plan explicitly crafted to sell products and meet consumer demand. When planning an optimized sales strategy with your team, it's essential to reach for a well-balanced option that satisfies your consumers while driving profit. When developing your sales approach, it's important to consider both new leads and the loyal customers or clients who have helped get you where you are. Below, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss their advice for developing an effective strategy that addresses both audiences.

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You can improve your customers' lives and their businesses by following these small pieces of advice.

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Your brand’s voice is already there. You don’t have to worry about creating it—you only need to uncover it.

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If you manage to tell a good story about your product/service, you’ll be able to communicate its value without listing all the features explicitly—and clients will love it. 

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When you invest in ongoing education and professional development for your employees, it shows them that you value their contributions to the company and, in doing so, it may also bolster morale and loyalty. To support this development, many companies will host speakers or workshops, but it's important to ensure your employees are feeling engaged — especially if it's a virtual meeting. To help you do this, 14 members of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) answered the following question:

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With so many competing companies in today's marketplace, customers have countless options when it comes to patronizing a business. To influence their decision-making, customers look for companies that they believe will add value to their lives.   Below, 11 members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared their thoughts on ways small business owners can consistently bring value to customers. They explain how these methods strengthen a business's connection with its customers and ultimately ensure the company's longevity.

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Graduation season is quickly approaching, and many soon-to-be grads are now being inundated with advice from advisors, professors and family members about their chosen career paths. Deciding where to work can be a daunting decision, especially with so many promising fields to go into. There are numerous ways for graduates to apply their degrees and past work experiences to find fulfilling and exciting entry-level positions. To help make this decision a little easier for the class of 2022, the experts of Young Entrepreneur Council each share their thoughts on the best careers to get into right now and offer advice for future job seekers.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss the ways businesses can leverage technology to improve their sales strategies. Business today is all about leveraging technology to make even the most ordinary of functions faster and more effective, and sales is no exception. Although sales is still largely a person-to-person operation, taking advantage of certain tools or software can help make the sales experience more efficient and even more personal for the sales team and potential customers than previous methods. Below, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members suggests ways in which any business can incorporate more tech into its sales process and why doing so will benefit everyone involved.

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Many employees are intimidated by salary negotiation, especially if they don’t have any prior experience with it. However, managers are more open to negotiation than you might think. In fact, 75% of managers expect to negotiate when making a job offer; however, workers often don’t take them up on the opportunity. To help professionals who have never done this before, 10 Young Entrepreneur Council members shared salary negotiation insights from an employer’s perspective. They offered tips for successfully asking for a higher salary and shared how these strategies have worked in the real world.

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A large part of the personal branding process relies on speaking with others, presenting new ideas to digital and in-person audiences, and establishing connections. To a self-described introvert, these tasks can seem like big hurdles on the way to success. But there are ways for introverts to get their names out there and create strong relationships within their network. Whether it's becoming more active on LinkedIn or publishing articles on sites within your discipline, introverts have many opportunities to be involved in the business community while still leaving space to recharge with solo activities. Below, 13 Young Entrepreneur Council members shared their keys to personal branding success as an introverted leader.

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From team meetings to one-on-ones to virtual happy hours, Zoom has become a key tool for dealing with the challenges of remote work and communication. Even though Zoom has become an asset for companies, many remote and hybrid employees battle “Zoom fatigue,” especially if constantly having to meet on screen is a big part of their jobs. Members of Young Entrepreneur Council have also felt this struggle. Here, they offer their best tips on Zoom fatigue and transform your next virtual meeting into a more engaging endeavor for all.

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Online safety is critical when you’re serving e-commerce customers. If proper protocols aren’t followed, e-commerce sites can easily fall prey to cybersecurity breaches, which may expose private customer information.  These security breaches can cost your company both in money and in customer loyalty, so it’s essential to prioritize shoppers’ online safety. To help you secure your consumers’ shopping experience, nine members of Young Entrepreneur Council outline the key security steps companies should take with their e-commerce sites.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council share the rules they think all entrepreneurs new to SEO should know. Whether you’re building your own website from scratch or are just getting a little more hands-on with its creation, entrepreneurs new to search engine optimization must figure out how to rank first (or at least high up) in search results. This project can seem like a daunting task. Luckily, though, a few key rules will help you to get started. Below, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council list the most important rules for those new to SEO and explain why they’re so vital for generating traffic.

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Helping employees understand and acclimate to your company’s culture is a critical part of any new hire onboarding process. But when it comes to onboarding new managers, there are additional considerations to keep in mind.  As a key leader in your organization, a manager needs to be familiar with more than just their individual department—they also need to understand how their department fits into the structure and goals of the entire company. Below, eight Young Entrepreneur Council members offer some of the elements needed in manager onboarding if you want to set them—and your company—up for success.

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Every business has a story to tell, and for your company's heritage to endure and grow, you must have core values.

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There's a story behind the start of every business, and many entrepreneurs write books to share their own. Whether it's a motivating story of overcoming challenges, an inspiring story of passion or a story full of practical lessons and advice, an entrepreneur's first book can be used to help them grow their business.  To share insights on how to do that, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) members answered the following question:

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Many employees set out with dreams of climbing the company ladder and someday becoming part of the executive leadership team. But the journey to the C-suite is filled with obstacles that young professionals might not expect when they first start out.  Below, nine Young Entrepreneur Council members shared their advice for aspiring business leaders looking to land that executive promotion. Follow their recommendations to give yourself the best chance at upward career movement.

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Many leaders grow and advance in their careers with the help of a mentor. Because of this, it’s natural to want to "pay it forward" by helping up-and-coming industry professionals find their way. Even if your company doesn't have a formal mentorship program in place, there are ways leaders can still act as mentors for their employees. Something as simple as having an open-door policy so employees can ask questions could help encourage an open environment and support growth. To discuss this and other methods of mentorship, nine Young Entrepreneur Council members recommended some key actions business leaders can take to act as mentors to their team members.

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Partnering with another business in your industry on a campaign or promotion is an effective and mutually beneficial way to market your product or service. Not only does it bring brand awareness for your company, but you'll also expand your reach by tapping into your partner company's existing audience. If you're gearing up for a collaborative cross-promotion with another company, there are a few steps you’ll need to take in order for the partnership to go well. Below, 11 members of Young Entrepreneur Council each shared one step they recommend you take for a successful collaboration.

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During the first quarter of the year, businesses often start to notice what’s been working and what hasn’t, what goals have been accomplished and which haven't quite yet. Maybe an initiative started in the first few weeks of the year still hasn't gotten off the ground or a campaign launched at the end of January didn't show the results you expected. Whatever the case, now is the perfect time for your business to do some “spring cleaning.” Whether it's a full reworking of your business plan or reviewing your SOPs, these steps and more could be great ways to refresh your business moving into the next portion of the year. Below, 10 Young Entrepreneur Council members shared what they recommend you do to “spring clean” your operations and the impact it'll have on the rest of your year.

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Super Bowl commercials are known for capturing their audience’s attention in an extreme way, whether through humor, storytelling or the star power of their commercial cast. It seems that everyone has a favorite Super Bowl commercial that, no matter how many years have passed, they still remember. Given the national attention these ads garner, entrepreneurs can look to these commercials for lessons on what advertising works and what doesn't. Here, eight Young Entrepreneur Council members shared their favorite Super Bowl commercials of years past and the lessons each one taught them about advertising in their own businesses.

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In the era of information overload, we're surrounded every day by new ideas, technology and innovation. Finding a niche that hasn't already been dominated may seem impossible for the aspiring entrepreneur. Yet every day someone creates something new to reach a market that hasn't yet been saturated. It's possible to carve out your own unique niche, but you need the right tools and expertise to do it. Below, eight Young Entrepreneur Council members shared their best suggestions for how to find a business niche that still has plenty of untapped potential.

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To keep growing, you need to establish a solid online presence for your manufacturing business — and you need a proven and measurable marketing approach to make it happen. 

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Email marketing is an essential component of any strong marketing strategy. This form of marketing gives businesses the chance to convert their audience members into long-time customers and provide value in a convenient way. Whether you're just starting out with email marketing or have been utilizing it for years, it's a good idea to assess your strategy to see what's working well for your business and what may be hurting your overall efforts. To help you do this, 10 members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared some common email marketing mistakes they often see companies make and what you can do instead.

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In recent years, automation has become a common tech solution for many aspects of business operations, from marketing to data analytics and reporting. Automating monotonous and repetitive tasks gives you and your team that chance to focus on other duties in need of your undivided attention. Business automation is also a tool you can leverage to scale your company and promote growth. Not sure where to begin when it comes to using automation effectively? Below, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members each recommended one task entrepreneurs should automate within their businesses to free up time and help them scale.

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You need an engaging customer experience across all of your channels for that advantage you're trying so hard to achieve to really shine through and be noticed by your customers.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council suggest ways leaders can thank their teams for all their hard work. Workplace happiness is a major topic of discussion in today’s employment landscape. Employees now more than ever are discovering that their happiness is a priority when it comes to where and when they work, and many are no longer willing to compromise in favor of anything else. In order to keep current (and future) employees happy, then, employers will need to approach retention differently than they may have in the past. Luckily, the strategy behind this effort doesn’t need to be complicated, as there’s no better way to ensure your team is happy and fulfilled than by showing your gratitude for all the hard work they do. Consider the following steps recommended by Young Entrepreneur Council leaders to help get you started.

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When it works, it makes you invincible.

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Great customer service is easy to spot but difficult to master. While some tactics are obvious, like treating the customer with respect and fairness, the very best techniques for improving customer service might not be what you expect. During their business journeys, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council have learned some unexpected lessons about making customers happy. Below, nine of them shared surprising tidbits they've picked up along the way that can help businesses revamp and improve their existing customer service infrastructure.

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We live in a world of constant distractions and interruptions. While it's easy to blame these external factors for our lack of focus, it's often our own reactions to and bad habits around those distractions that are truly sabotaging us. In the remote work era, certain productivity-killing habits like multitasking and constantly checking notifications have become even more common as professionals try to juggle work and home life. Below, 11 members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared some practices that may be unintentionally hurting your ability to focus and how to break those bad habits for good.

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With so many work stressors, it can often feel difficult to feel grateful for your professional life. Long days and difficult co-workers can be hard to handle, and these factors may sometimes overshadow your job’s positive benefits in your mind. However, intentionally looking for the good can help you feel more gratitude for the opportunity you’ve been given and improve your overall mental state. Below, 14 Young Entrepreneur Council members offered some ways to practice thankfulness in your everyday professional life and explained why it’s so important to do this.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council share the top tools that will help any company improve their remote work process. Whether it was communicating important information or collaborating on multiple projects at once, many companies faced new challenges as they made the switch to a remote or hybrid work environment. Luckily, there exist a multitude of tools and tech solutions that can help struggling companies improve the way they work remotely. Below, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council suggest 12 of the solutions they use for their own companies and explain why they recommend you implement them to make your remote work processes a little more efficient.

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Businesses may need to participate in fundraising efforts to secure additional capital, fund research efforts or expand their market reach. Before they can begin, however, leaders must determine their company's valuation. A valuation of a company is determined through various calculations that take into account factors such as market value and annual revenue. This step is crucial as it may determine whether or not investors choose to invest in your business. If you're about to begin the fundraising process for your startup, consider these eight factors that can influence your valuation, as shared by the members of Young Entrepreneur Council.

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Performance feedback is an important way for your employees to know how well they are doing in their role, especially in a growing company. While annual reviews help your employees see how they’ve been doing throughout the course of the year, they could also benefit from receiving regular performance feedback.  Continued feedback allows employees to address any changes they should be making in their workflow, rather than finding out later on that they have been underperforming. However, it should be given in a way that employees feel encouraged to improve, rather than micro-managed.  Below, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members offered some creative ways to give regular performance feedback to key team members, even in a growing company.

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Working on a team can be challenging for those accustomed to working alone. Teams bring different opinions, ideas and ways of working, which can be incredibly helpful for collaborative projects. However, this environment can sometimes be difficult for those used to independent thinking and solo projects. If you're a professional who prefers to work on your own, it helps to have a strategy for approaching and thriving in team-based work environments. To get you started, eight Young Entrepreneur Council members shared their best tips for how you can improve your teamwork skills at work.

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As the holidays quickly approach, it's almost time for you and your team to set your “out of office” auto-replies and get some well-deserved rest and relaxation. However, this is easier said than done when many professionals continually feel the need to be productive. This feeling of not doing enough and needing to be “always on” can lead to guilt about taking time off and will keep you from enjoying a much-needed break. To help your company avoid this issue, eight Young Entrepreneur Council members shared some tips to help you and your team truly unplug and enjoy the holidays.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council list the factors companies will want to consider if they want to improve their website UX. While your business’s first attempt at creating a website may have focused on necessary product information, your logo and color scheme and basic functionality, it may not have truly considered how your visitors use the site and, therefore, may not have produced the positive results you were hoping for. To get the most out of your website, it’s vital that you take a look at the full user experience first. To help guide you, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council offer 14 factors all companies should consider when redesigning their websites and why these particular factors can have such an impact on the way your users experience your business.

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When your team is feeling uninspired, try these activities and initiatives designed to boost morale. High morale can ensure your team stays motivated and engaged through the "daily grind." From hosting virtual happy hours to organizing an escape room outing, the effects of team-building activities can strengthen the bonds between teammates and create unexpected benefits within the workplace. This more collaborative work culture can lead to a more diverse set of solutions leaders might not have anticipated. Below, 14 members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared their top-recommended team activities for keeping everyone motivated. Follow their suggestions to take a more proactive approach to company-wide team building, even when people feel stuck in a day-to-day rut.

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At one point or another, most professionals face a crossroads in their career. Whether they simply want to change jobs, pursue a different career path or still don't know what their true calling in life is, there are a lot of questions a person can ask themselves before choosing a direction. While there's something to be said for trusting your gut, it's wise to consider your options carefully and ask the right questions of yourself when trying to determine where to take your career next. To guide you, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members offered 10 key questions that can help you illuminate the correct "next step."

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council list some struggles business leaders face with digital marketing and how to overcome them. Consumers are spending more time online, visiting more platforms than ever before. Therefore, digital marketing is an important way to spread brand awareness and convert potential customers. But with so many evolving trends in digital marketing, keeping up and mastering best practices isn’t always easy. Below, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members discusses some of the common hurdles entrepreneurs face when dealing with digital marketing and offer their advice on overcoming them.

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Competition between businesses gets fierce during the holiday season. This means your marketing game needs to be on point if you want to steal the spotlight from your competitors and attract more customers during this busy time of year — especially if you're a small- and medium-sized business operating on a limited budget. To help get you started, 12 professionals from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) answered the following question:

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Employees aren’t the only ones who can receive feedback about their performance at work. As a manager or business leader, it’s important to receive feedback from your employees so you can understand how you’re doing and what you need to do to improve. While every manager hopes for positive feedback, they may still receive negative feedback from time to time, and it’s how they respond to that feedback that can really make the difference. If an employee thinks you're not performing at your best and lets you know about it, there are some steps you should take to address the complaint the right way. Below, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council explained what leaders should do after they receive negative feedback.

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The digital marketing industry has seen an influx of growth over the past few years. More businesses than ever are adapting to the digital arena brought on by the global pandemic. This change of pace has spurred new digital marketing trends that have replaced previous outdated strategies. Below, 10 members of Young Entrepreneur Council explained which recent digital marketing trends they're most excited about and why. Here's what they believe the future of marketing will look like, and how these trends have already impacted their own efforts.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council recommend taking these steps before using content made by your audience. One of the easiest ways for any business to produce content is to make smart use of the content their audience members have already made. This user-generated content (UGC) not only is a great way to get your audience engaged with your brand, but it’s also an effective strategy to find free content for your business’s social channels. According to a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members, however, there are a few things you’ll want to be sure you do before you use any UGC. Below, they’ve listed 13 of the steps you’ll want to take and explain why taking them is so important.

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In business, conflict is bound to be a daily occurrence. While no leader desires conflict, as entrepreneurs they often experience it on a day-to-day basis. Differing opinions, struggles with working relationships and team management issues can all lay the foundation for potential conflict, and not all leaders are equipped to handle it. In order to get more comfortable with conflict then, leaders must be proactive and develop a plan to overcome their fears. To help, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared 14 ways leaders can get more comfortable with conflict and be more successful as a result.

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Accurately gauging the fit of a job candidate can be difficult, and sometimes new hires who seemed great during the interview process don't pan out as expected. In situations like this, a leader must take action to course-correct and figure out the problem before the whole team suffers. To help you identify some red flags to look for early in a new employee's tenure, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) members answered the following question:

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Not sure if you’re effective in trying to reach your audience?

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss the methods they wish companies would stop using to advertise on mobile. With average smartphone users spending somewhere between three to six hours a day on their phones, it’s no wonder that marketers are trying to capitalize on this time. However, some marketers have been going about it the wrong way, creating unnecessary friction or irritation for users simply trying to consume content. According to this panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members, the following 10 mobile marketing methods are some of the worst offenders. Consider removing these strategies from your plans if you want to make the most of your mobile marketing efforts.

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In business, making an active effort to support the entrepreneurial community can be game-changing for your company’s growth. After all, these individuals have been through similar experiences and challenges as business owners themselves, and can often help you navigate them. However, to gain the support of your fellow entrepreneurs, you have to be willing to give back to them. If you’re not sure where to begin, eight Young Entrepreneur Council members explained some simple methods for supporting other business owners and why it's important for all entrepreneurs to do so.

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As the leader of a growing business, you might be tempted to set your goals high and hold your employees to meeting them. You and your team likely have a ton of great ideas and are eager to pursue each of them, but aiming too high can actually be detrimental to your business's growth and success. Rather than setting unattainable standards for yourself and your employees, take your time when developing your business and each worker's path to ensure sustainable, measured growth. Below, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared ways to set realistic business goals that will still stretch limitations and build your team’s skills.

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The secret to a successful and efficient company culture is transparent communication. This is especially true when you need to announce big news to your team in a way that will make them feel confident about the company's direction and decisions. To help you do this, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) members answered the following question:

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You don’t have to wait to start your journey toward success. People often say that the key to success is to become a lifelong learner. This is because as you continue to learn new things throughout your life and career, you’re better able to adapt, innovate and grow — all of which are necessary components to a successful business. And continued curiosity around your passions can make for a fulfilling life. To get started, follow these steps recommended by the members of Young Entrepreneur Council and begin your journey to becoming a lifelong learner today.

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When an entrepreneur starts a new business, it's never with the intention to give up on it one day. The sad truth, however, is that running a business unfortunately doesn't always equate to success, and a particular business venture may not work out how you’d planned. After trying so hard to make your business successful, it can be difficult to think about moving on to something else or to know exactly when to throw in the towel. To provide some guidance, eight members from Young Entrepreneur Council shared a few of the signs that will show you when your business may no longer be worth your time.

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No employee is immune to burnout—not even your "A" players—and especially not during trying times. As an employer, you may sometimes notice that the employees who are always on their game have been reaching a point of exhaustion. Some employees may even seem bored with their work and like they are craving something new. If your top performers need a little extra motivation, try these tips recommended by the members of Young Entrepreneur Council. Below, nine of them give their best advice to employers who want to reverse team burnout and get their staff back on track.

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Getting your voice out there is an important part of becoming a successful thought leader. However, it can be difficult to know the right way to convey your perspectives on different topics without a strong writing foundation. For those entrepreneurs who have never written before, the thought of publishing a piece can seem like a far-off goal—but it doesn’t have to be if you have the right strategies in place. To help guide you in the right direction, 10 Young Entrepreneur Council members shared their best writing tips for aspiring thought leaders.

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Employees want to feel valued, included and represented at work. Not only do they want to receive encouragement from supervisors and support from upper management, but they also want to be able to express themselves and their opinions freely with colleagues without fear of retribution. Leaders have an important role to play in creating an accepting, comfortable work culture that benefits employees. To help you fulfill this role, 10 Young Entrepreneur Council members share one simple step any business leader can take today to create or encourage a more equitable and inclusive work culture.

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To succeed in this B2B buying environment, you must develop a clear understanding of your customer’s buying centers and their roles.

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Few people stay in the same exact role at just one company for their entire career. At some point in your professional journey, you'll likely seek out change, whether it's moving up in your organization or finding a job elsewhere. When a job opportunity presents itself, you may wonder whether it's the right move for you at that particular time. You don't want to take too long to make a choice, lest the chance passes you by—but you also don't want to rashly jump into something that isn't a good fit and later regret it. To help you make this important decision, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members shared nine questions you should ask yourself to determine whether a new professional opportunity is right for you.

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When you work in a team setting, conflict is inevitable. However, when members of your team aren't getting along, the negative energy can be toxic for the entire team and the business can suffer as a result.  Part of a leader's responsibility is to help mediate conflict in such situations and generate positivity throughout the team. Here, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council share the most effective ways they know to mediate conflict and provide positive conflict resolution when their team members aren’t working well together.

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The happiness of its employees can make all the difference in a company's success. The success of a business largely relies on growing sales, stellar customer service and, just as importantly, the positive attitude of its employees. Happy employees are likely more engaged, productive and willing to learn than unhappy ones. This means that team motivation and productivity can skyrocket under the right conditions, but how do you get your employees to that level? As a leader, it's important for you to promote the mental well-being of your employees if you want to see business thrive. Below, 14 members of Young Entrepreneur Council share the ways in which employers can help support the positive mental health of their employees and why it's so important to do.

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Hoping that short-term success will persist in the long run is a bad idea.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss some major issues with the e-commerce experience. In 2020 alone, e-commerce sales worldwide reached a total of nearly $4.3 trillion, and it continues to be one of the fastest-growing industries in the world. However, that doesn't mean consumers are always happy with their online shopping experience. From lack of product information on e-commerce websites to slow page speeds, customers have spotted holes in the e-commerce experience providers should be filling. To help e-commerce companies create better customer experiences, 12 members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared the biggest pain points customers face and potential solutions companies can implement.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss why open-source software meets small business needs better than tech from major corporations. To be an effective business, it helps to have the right technology at your disposal. Because of their name recognition and broad advertising reach, major tech corporations like Microsoft and Google may be the first thought of businesses big and small looking for the right software to meet their needs. However, they may not actually be the best choice. Especially for small businesses with limited staff and often even more limited budgets, open-source software may be exactly what they need. To explain why, nine Young Entrepreneur Council members list off some of the specific reasons why open-source software may be able to help small businesses in ways major tech companies never can.

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In a world filled with uncertainties, businesses want to be able to rely on customer loyalty. Many businesses know they wouldn’t be successful without their customers, but they may not be sure how to best thank them for their loyalty. To retain customers, it’s important to find effective ways to thank them for their business. That's why 10 Young Entrepreneur Council members shared their favorite unique ways to thank loyal members of your brand community. Follow their recommendations and make your customer's day.

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An individual who factors self-reflection into their everyday development is on their way to becoming a great leader. To advance, managers have to ask themselves regularly if their performance is in line with their leadership goals. The evidence can be in how well their team is performing and the results they have achieved. To that end, 10 Young Entrepreneur Council members each shared one question managers should ask themselves to ensure they’re becoming the best leaders they can be. Try to reflect on these questions yourself if you want to gauge your own performance and efficacy as a leader.

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Scaling a business usually means employees will be taking on new tasks and responsibilities and new rules or processes may be put in place. Depending on how fast the company grows, the employees may become frustrated with all the changes, leading to disengagement and low team morale. If not addressed, this lack of connection with the business and its goals can be the first step to losing those employees. Business leaders who want to retain their talented employees should figure out the best techniques for keeping this frustration to a minimum. To help, ten members of YEC discuss how a business can make employee retention a high priority while growing the company.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council explain how companies can better manage the safety of their customers’ data. IoT devices like home security systems, robot vacuums, fitness trackers, smart lightbulbs and everything in between are designed to make users’ lives easier and more efficient. But to achieve that ease, users must input data, often personal, to help these devices function well—which can sometimes mean forgoing security for functionality. However, there are steps companies can take to protect their customers’ data and ensure better security for their devices. Below, 11 members of Young Entrepreneur Council list some of those steps and explain why managing data security for these devices is so important.

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Transparency is often boasted as a defining quality of successful business leaders. Oftentimes it helps team members feel valued and comfortable enough to share their own opinions. But can too much transparency have negative effects on company operations and employee morale? Keeping information from being distracting or detrimental to the workplace requires evaluating the situation to determine when you should be a transparent leader. Here, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council share when it's time to draw a line on being open with positive and negative news.

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Digital receipts, online bank statements and cloud-based document storage are the norm in today's business world. Some business owners may wonder whether they truly need physical copies of any documents at all these days. However, some important documents should always exist in both physical and digital form.  To that end, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) members answered the following question:

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What makes customers want to pay more for some brands than others? The answer is two words: brand equity.

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You don’t have to know every marketing tactic out there, but if you want to become the best in your niche, you have to be aware of the little things that make a big difference. 

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council share the best technology innovations they've seen recently and why each is so impressive. The technology industry continues to boom faster than ever, especially in today's digital-first world. New innovations are springing up every day, from smartphone technology to machine learning and more. Tech innovations not only optimize business practices across industries, but also afford a better quality of life to consumers. But which ones are the most impressive and useful? Below, 10 members of Young Entrepreneur Council describe what they see as the best recent tech innovations and why each one is so helpful.

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For new business owners, it may not always be clear when to move beyond core employees and begin bringing on some new teammates. Growing pains are normal for a startup that is doing well, so until you see your employees are struggling, you may not realize that it’s time to bring on additional help. To help you better spot the signs, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members offer eight indications that your company needs additional support staff. Look for these issues within your business so you can face the problems head-on and give your employees the help they need to do their jobs well.

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Sometimes an employee just doesn’t work out within an organization and needs to be let go. Firing an employee is a task that needs to be handled with delicacy and care, and the process can be intimidating for someone who has never been responsible for terminating an employee before. If you find yourself in this situation, follow this advice from the members of Young Entrepreneur Council:

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Some work environments are healthy and result in an open sharing of ideas and techniques. Unfortunately, others can be decidedly more toxic, but it’s not always easy to notice when it’s your everyday reality. Because a daily work environment can be fluid and dynamic, it's sometimes hard to spot the red flags that denote a toxic environment. Most entrepreneurs may not even realize one is forming around them. Here, eight leaders from Young Entrepreneur Council share some lesser-known red flags you should be looking for if you believe you’re working in a toxic environment and suggest what you might do if you spot any of these signs.

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Content marketing is one of the most effective methods of gaining exposure for a brand and bringing potential customers into the sales funnel. By integrating strategic distribution, search engine optimization and inbound tactics as part of this approach, most businesses see excellent returns on their investments in content marketing. Building a content marketing campaign strategy around specific goals the business wants to meet helps narrow the focus, which improves results. Brand promotion, for example, requires different content than product marketing. Here, members of Young Entrepreneur Council explore eight content marketing secrets that all business leaders should know about to successfully promote their brand.

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One of the best ways to keep a business innovative and growing healthily is for leaders to set tangible goals for teams. To motivate teams to accomplish their goals, it helps to assess the progress toward meeting them on a quarterly basis. This way, at the end of every quarter, the whole team can look back and track the progress they’ve made, see what still needs to happen and prepare for the quarter ahead. To help, 11 members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared tips for assessing accomplishments at the end each quarter so that you can plan or revise strategic goals. gear up for the next one and keep your company on course.

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With so many people accustomed to working in remote environments, businesses no longer need a centralized location to find success. If they make strategic choices about which technologies to adopt, ambitious entrepreneurs can launch, run and grow a successful business right from their own home. One important part of the equation in building a home-based business is having the right tech tools in place. Below, ten members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss key ways for entrepreneurs to leverage technology to help their home-based business thrive. Follow their tips to set yours up for success.

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Return on investment is one of the most critical metrics any company can track. Knowing the ROI of each company function makes it easier to make key business decisions. Measuring the return on customer service investments can be especially helpful in improving your service and experience. However, it's not always clear how to distill those numbers in actionable ways. Below, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members discusses the most effective ways to make customer service ROI figures more measurable and impactful for a business.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council share the most important lessons they've learned about leading from afar. The COVID-19 pandemic has rocked the world’s foundations in all aspects. Countless companies have had to change their business models and switch to remote work to keep their employees safe. But after more than a year of this virtual work environment, leaders have learned valuable lessons on how to lead—and how not to lead—when their teams aren't all in one location. The members of Young Entrepreneur Council know the challenges of pivoting their leadership style in the current climate. Below, 13 of them shared the lessons that have taught them how to be better leaders in this new remote work era.

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It's an inevitability in any business; you can't please every customer and, eventually, someone will get upset. But what matters is how you deal with their expectations and come to a common solution. Dealing with an angry customer doesn't necessarily have to mean the end of your relationship with them. In fact, with the right techniques and strategies, you may be able to steer the conversation in a positive and productive direction. Below, nine members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared their best advice for doing just this.

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Running a business from your home brings with it a whole host of benefits, including being an extremely cost-effective option, but it also has its cons. When your business takes place at home, it's very easy for household demands to overshadow business needs.  So what’s the best way to run a business from the comfort of your home while ensuring productivity and a healthy work ethic? Eleven members of Young Entrepreneur Council share their insights by responding to the following question:

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While introversion should not be considered a negative trait, in the world of business, where so many daily tasks require people-to-people interaction, introverts can quickly find themselves drained of energy. Figuring out methods to cope with this issue isn’t always easy. Employers can help, however, by ensuring their work environment and duties are introvert-friendly. To accomplish this, employers should keep a few helpful tips in mind. Below, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council share some strategies for helping introverted employees succeed in the workplace and achieve their goals, and how that may benefit the entire team over the long term.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council explain how to craft SEO content that will withstand trends. In a world of changing algorithms and content trends, it’s important to prioritize search engine optimization (SEO) to keep up with competitors and get found by your audience. When creating content, you’ll want to appeal to current trends so you’re actually able to reach your target audience. However, it's also important to follow proven best practices that give your content staying power, no matter how many times search algorithms are updated. To help, members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared tips for creating long-lasting, SEO-friendly content. Follow their advice to publish pieces that stand the test of time.

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As a new entrepreneur, you might battle limiting beliefs or unrealistic expectations that you’ve yet to flag or identify. However, as you progress in your business, you’ll learn there are certain ideas and habits you’ll need to shed in order to reach your fullest potential.  The first step to doing so, of course, is acknowledging what you must set free. Below, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members shared the most important things they gave up in order to advance in their careers. Here's how letting go helped them move forward.

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From ramping up online offerings to implementing new health and safety protocols, the Covid-19 pandemic has transformed the way people do business—especially for physical retail stores navigating the future of post-pandemic shopping. While it can be challenging for companies to pivot their operations based on customers’ changing needs and expectations, it can also serve as a unique opportunity for growth. To help you thoughtfully transform your in-store experience, 12 members of Young Entrepreneur Council answered the following question:

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The face of social media has changed significantly in a short time, and today short video content is dominating user news feeds. While some social media platforms use video as a feature, like Instagram Stories, others, such as TikTok, use short videos as their main form of communication. Businesses can then leverage this content on their own social media pages to help improve their customer engagement and boost sales. To share insights on how to do just that, 12 experts from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) answer the following question:

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Writing a business email? Don't hit "send" until you've completed these key steps. Crafting an effective business email has become something of a lost art. More and more professionals are receiving correspondences with misspellings, lack of structure, and unclear content. These poorly-written emails may reflect badly on the sender or even discourage someone from doing business with them.  That’s why it’s so important to pay attention to best practices when communicating with business contacts, colleagues and employees via email. Below, a group of business leaders shared their tips for writing the perfect business email and why each is so effective.

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In a market with hundreds (maybe thousands) of competitors, it becomes more challenging for businesses to make a mark that'll impact the core audience they’re aiming for. This is why it’s so important for a business to develop a strategy that will give them an edge over the rest. Saturated markets can still be profitable, but only if the company makes its value proposition known to the target audience in such a striking way that it deeply resonates with them. To offer insight on how to do that, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council look at a few strategies businesses can adopt to stand out in a crowded market and how each tip helps make the company more visible to the consumer.

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Your brand persona humanizes your business and creates a story that your customers can connect with.

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When you think about outstanding personal branding, at least one person comes to mind. This person displays all the elements of what a personal brand should be, but they also have a little something more—an “X” factor. But what are these factors and how can other entrepreneurs tap into those same skills or traits for their own benefit? Below, eight professionals from Young Entrepreneur Council discuss their favorite examples of amazing personal branding and the particular elements that make them so outstanding.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council explain the first steps a business should take upon discovering a negative review. No one likes to receive bad reviews or negative feedback from customers. Often, business owners may feel they’re personal attacks or a competitor trying to start trouble. Rather than responding with patience and an open mind, some businesses lash out and become defensive. While it may feel justified in the moment, the only thing you're doing is adding fuel to the fire—and potentially making the customer angrier.  If you want to handle a negative review tactfully and efficiently, try one of these strategies recommended by the members of Young Entrepreneur Council.

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Building positive relationships with your customers is essential to running a successful and sustainable business. That’s why many business owners rely on customer relationship management (CRM) tools to connect with clients and nurture ongoing interactions. With so many options on the market, leaders may not know where to start in their search for a great CRM tool. Below, 15 experts from Young Entrepreneur Council shared their favorite CRM tools and why they’re so effective.

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For many companies, it’s not always clear whether or not they should be responsible for educating their customers about the dangers of cyber attacks and malware. But as cybersecurity becomes a greater threat, even non-tech companies are considering the best ways to communicate these dangers to their customers. But what's the most effective way to do so, given how complex an issue cybersecurity really is? To shed some more light on this topic, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council share their opinions on whether or not companies have a responsibility to educate consumers about cybersecurity and list some effective ways to go about doing so.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council offer tips for developing effective, sales-boosting e-commerce ads. E-commerce is a great way for a business to boost its sales, especially in today's world of social distancing and online shopping. But with so many businesses gravitating toward e-commerce, the space has become rather crowded. Companies that want to sell online successfully need to maximize their advertising efforts and keep attracting new customers. To help, 12 members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared some effective ways to take your e-commerce advertising to the next level. Follow their tips to keep customers coming in your virtual door, even during your off-season.

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Bookkeeping is a tedious but necessary process for all businesses. But for small businesses with limited resources, streamlining the process becomes of even greater importance. One way to do this is to invest in a reputable accounting software or tool that keeps you organized and on track. With so many options on the market today, however, it can be difficult to know which accounting software is right for your business bookkeeping needs. It's helpful to get insights from experienced entrepreneurs who have tested out a variety of tools to find what works and what doesn’t. To that end, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members shared the bookkeeping software and tools they recommend for small business owners.

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First impressions set the stage for how someone sees you. Most human beings draw conclusions about others from the first thing they do or say. In business, that means that initial meeting is especially important.  Authenticity in your actions and speech can create a great first impression in many circles, but only if your authenticity isn't forced. To help, 10 members of Young Entrepreneur Council reflect on the following question:

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council share their favorite resources to help you stay abreast of industry changes. The tech industry is notorious for moving quickly and abruptly. If you want to stay relevant in the field, you’ll have to be able to identify and adapt to changes and new trends.  However, keeping up is a daunting task, even for the most seasoned tech professionals. For newcomers, it’s important to build up a collection of reliable resources to help maintain industry knowledge.  For guidance on where to start, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members shared their favorite platforms and resources to help you stay up to date with industry changes.

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When building your brand strategy, make sure to include these five elements.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council explain the tactics they've used to encourage customer downloads of their branded mobile apps. In today's mobile-first world, businesses can get tremendous value from developing and promoting branded mobile apps. It's a great way to reach customers where they are and it provides them an exciting new way to engage with your brand. The problem, however, is that app fatigue may discourage consumers from downloading your newly launched mobile app. They may think, "Why should I download another app on my phone when I can just go to the company's website?" To show your customers your app is valuable and worth downloading, consider these 11 tried-and-true strategies leveraged by the members of Young Entrepreneur Council, who have successfully encouraged consumers to use their companies' mobile apps.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council share some foolproof ways to break down a complicated concept for your target market. You come up with a great idea. On paper, it makes perfect sense. You and your team talk about it together all day long, but when you go to explain the idea to your target audience, the idea just doesn’t translate well and you lose them. It can be frustrating to not have the skills or words to properly articulate your concept, but effective communication is a core skill for any entrepreneur. That’s why the members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared some simple ways you can successfully explain challenging concepts to their audience. Try these strategies to help you get your idea across, no matter who you’re talking to.

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Brand preference, like brand loyalty, won’t build up overnight. It’s developed over time and with product and brand consistency. Although there are no silver bullets to build brand preference quickly, there are some things you can do to help develop it.

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Managers have the difficult responsibility of achieving their own goals to meet the business objectives of their company while simultaneously overseeing the performance of its employees. As a leader, you want to make sure you’re there for your team when they have questions or need guidance. However, it’s important to strike a balance between meeting your own goals and making yourself available to your staff. To help, members of Young Entrepreneur Council offered 10 steps managers can take to achieve this balance.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss how you’ll know when it’s time to consider a career switch. From decreased motivation to frustration with the industry, every professional faces ups and downs in their career. It’s quite common for even the most passionate employees to fall into a funk, then come through the other side of it just as fulfilled as before. However, those negative thoughts or feelings you’re experiencing can also signify something deeper. Below, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council share some of the signs you may actually be ready for a significant career move. Read on to discover if you’re just in a temporary funk or if you need to consider making a change.

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If you’re trying to attract highly qualified professionals to your company, it’s likely that they’re mulling over multiple offer letters in addition to yours. To incentivize a top job candidate to accept your offer, you have to find a way to make it stand out. To help, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) members answered the following question:

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Entrepreneurs typically have long, nonstandard workdays, with some even working more than 15 hours at a time. Yet even though they may be spending all this time working on their business, there's no guarantee that their days are truly as productive as they could be. Building structure within your workday helps solve this problem. But how does someone specifically go about structuring their day, and what types of elements should be included? To help, nine leaders from Young Entrepreneur Council discuss the workday scheduling techniques that function best for them, and offer some advice on how others can follow in their footsteps.

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Young Entrepreneur Council members look ahead at consumer IoT device trends they expect we’ll see more of this year. The internet of things (IoT) has been a booming sector of the tech industry in recent years. As people are now spending more time at home than ever, the need for connected devices has taken on new importance and relevance.  Because of this need, 2021 will likely be the year that consumers and businesses alike upgrade their smart home and office technology. Below, 12 members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared their predictions for which IoT devices will have the greatest impact on the consumer market in the coming months ahead.

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17 members of YEC share effective tactics for gathering together leaders in a way that will lead to actual productivity and strategizing. For a business to thrive it needs its leaders to be able to communicate, plan and execute effectively. In order to do this, it’s vital for leaders to gather together — whether in person or virtually — to discuss plans and exchange ideas. For most leaders, these meetings are a chance to have their say in how the business runs. And with companies these days looking at ways to pivot and take advantage of a new business environment, it's not strange to see companies branching out to find more creative ways to bring leaders together. In the past, boardrooms or conference venues were the preferred meeting point for leaders. But as busy executives, it can be challenging to find a time that works for everyone. And even if you can get together, meetings that don’t have a game plan may not always lead to the most productive conversation. Below, 17 members of YEC look at different creative ways business leaders can gather together for effective strategizing and conversation.

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The dark and dreary months of winter often take a toll on people’s mental health. Thankfully, there are ways to keep your spirits bright through this season so you can stay motivated and inspired in your business and life. As business leaders, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council know that regular self-care can help manage stress and beat the winter blues. Try some of their suggestions to get you through this winter season.

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Finding funding is typically one of the most challenging parts of starting a new business. The risks versus rewards of investing in new companies can usually have investors worried about jumping in. The responsibility is then on the entrepreneur to make their business idea exciting and attractive enough to warrant investors' attention. No matter whether the funding comes from friends, angel investors or venture capital firms, the entrepreneur must have a clear strategy for obtaining this funding. To help, these eight leaders from Young Entrepreneur Council offer some strategies for persuading someone to invest in a new business.

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While it's not a common thing, some businesses do explode into popularity overnight. For the companies that do, it can be a completely new landscape to navigate. Suddenly, consumers want your product and they can't get enough of it. Your supply lines and logistics may not be able to handle the traffic at its new demanding level. Successful businesses always prepare for the possibility of growth. Still, so much expansion in such a small span of time can leave a company reeling and result in unsatisfied customers. So how should a company approach newfound success? Below, nine leaders from Young Entrepreneur Council discuss how a company can scale up to meet demand following sudden success that thrusts the business into the spotlight.

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Small businesses, like any business, have finances that need to be kept in order. Owners can deal with these duties to a point; however, small businesses tend to grow, and hiring an employee dedicated to keeping the company's finances in check is often a necessary next step. Luckily, many small business owners can hire someone on a part-time basis. This route carries a lot less overhead in terms of time and money compared to hiring a full-time employee, but it also comes with its own challenges. That’s why we asked 11 entrepreneurs from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) the following:

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Facing adversity can help you grow in ways you never imagined. No one likes to think about facing adversity and hardships. However, everyone must deal with challenging situations at some point in their personal and professional lives, especially in the midst of today's pandemic and social climate. Having a strategy to confront adversity head-on can help you be better prepared when obstacles do pop up. To help, we asked a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members for their advice. Below they share their No. 1 tips for overcoming hardships and why doing so can help you grow as a person.

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When it comes to building a brand, both brand awareness and brand recognition are important. 

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Programming is highly in demand in today's digital-first world. Try these tools, courses and platforms recommended by business leaders. Today's world is all about technology, which means people who can develop software and applications are in very high demand. However, many companies that need help with development have found there simply aren't enough qualified programmers to go around. Businesses that are in need of programming talent but can't find or don't have the budget to hire top tech candidates often choose to build the skills of their internal team to supplement their needs. Fortunately, there are countless free and low-cost tools, courses and programs that can help teams boost their programming skills. We asked 15 members of Young Entrepreneur Council to share their top tool recommendations for businesses that want to build programming into their professional development flow.

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Whether it’s frustration from limitations in their current industry or being shaken by the instability of the job market during COVID-19, many professionals are starting over in their careers, possibly in a new industry entirely.  But pivoting to a new industry isn’t as simple as mixing and matching your current skill set and hoping it fits. It’s important to examine how your current skills and experience apply to the industry you’re ready to dive into.  To help you, we asked 10 Young Entrepreneur Council members to share strategies for how to do this and tips to convince your future employer you’re qualified to make the switch.

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LONG-FORM ARTICLE EMAILED TO KELSEY You have a great idea for a startup. You know there's a gap in the market and you have the funds to start financing your business. Now all that's left to do is to land your first customer. Making your first sale as a brand-new company isn't always as easy as it sounds, though -- it requires extensive market research and a deep understanding of what messaging and marketing channels will resonate most with them. If you're embarking on the sales journey for the very first time, it helps to know what methods and strategies other entrepreneurs have used to grow their customer base. Below, seven business owners share their best tips for acquiring your startup's first customer.

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Occasionally, a business may require a part-time chief financial officer because their full-time employee has left or transitioned to a new portfolio. A part-time CFO doesn't need to have the same skill set as the original office-holder. However, to be successful in their endeavors on behalf of the company, they need to have a series of qualities making them suitable for the position. CFOs are responsible for the company's economic health and well-being, and these traits are instrumental for them to understand unspoken truths about the business. Below, 11 members of Young Entrepreneur Council weigh in on the critical qualities that part-time CFOs should demonstrate and why these characteristics are so crucial to the role.

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Entrepreneurs can be easily distracted. Whether it's new ideas popping into their heads or the demands of their businesses, distractions abound and can easily steal away your focus. However, in many situations, you'll need to have all your wits and focus on you if you're trying to resolve a problem. Developing a method to maintain concentration when you most need it is crucial to the success of your business and yourself as a business owner. To help, we asked 11 members of YEC what they usually do to achieve uninterrupted focus. Below, they share some of their secrets, as well as valuable advice on how other entrepreneurs could incorporate these behaviors into their schedules, helping them achieve better focus.

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The holiday season is usually a goldmine of opportunities for product-based businesses that deploy specific marketing strategies to make their offering stand out and be relevant for that time of the year. While service-based businesses typically find it more difficult to capitalize on this season’s business opportunities, there are still several creative strategies they can deploy to make holiday marketing work in their favor. To help, we asked 12 entrepreneurs from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) the following:

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With most people working from home and away from their office’s internal server, data security is a pressing concern for employers. Companies and employees must make security a priority and understand how to keep their data safe when they’re working outside of their business’s secure network. To help, we asked members of Young Entrepreneur Council for their best advice on how to keep corporate files safe while working from home. Below, 12 of them shared their insights for remote workers and employers.

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Once your company has achieved financial success, you may find yourself in a position to give back to your community. By donating time or money to a good cause, you’ll not only become a more socially responsible company, but you’ll also feel more fulfilled as a business owner and potentially strengthen the loyalty your clients feel for your organization.  Before you make any kind of charitable donation, it’s important to ensure you’re choosing the right recipient. To help, we spoke with 10 members of Young Entrepreneur Council about what leaders should look for or be wary of when deciding where to donate. Read on for their tips for identifying the best organizations or causes to support.

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Keeping up with your employees on an individual level makes for good leadership. As you hire more and more people to your team, it can be difficult to maintain that one-on-one time with each employee. However, doing so is crucial to ensuring everyone is on the same page and performing their best. To help you, we asked the members of Young Entrepreneur Council to share some creative and effective ways to give regular performance feedback to your key team members. Follow their advice to stay connected to your team, even as your company grows.

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If you confuse sales activation tactics with brand-building, you could be holding yourself back from sustainable growth.

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Innovation is the key to a successful and progressive business, and your staff should constantly be looking for ways to grow your brand. As a leader, it’s your responsibility to keep your workers engaged and motivated. To help you inspire and encourage your staff, we asked the experts of Young Entrepreneur Council about ways to spark deeper thinking. Here are 10 important questions leaders should ask their employees to generate ideas and solutions to problems.

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LinkedIn is often thought of as the go-to social network for professionals, but it’s more than just a social media platform. It’s a powerful marketing tool for brands to engage with customers, employees and business partners. With new features such as live video, polls and team moments, LinkedIn is offering innovative ways to foster engagement and share content on its platform. We asked the experts of Young Entrepreneur Council how business owners and other professionals can best leverage the platform's new tools. Follow their tips to up your LinkedIn game in 2021.

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A business is only as good as its employees. In order to thrive, you have to ensure our workers are on the same page and willing to grow with you. A truly loyal team will stand with your business during the ups and downs and dedicate themselves to the business’s overall success. To help you build a team that's in it for the long haul, we asked the members of Young Entrepreneur Council for their advice. Below, they shared nine simple ways leaders can earn their team's loyalty.

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We all have biases that affect our decision-making. These biases can sometimes be minor and have minimal impact, but other times they can have an outsized and potentially negative influence on your business and how it’s run. To become more mindful of your biases and how to recognize them, we asked members of Young Entrepreneur Council for their advice. Below they shared 10 steps leaders can take to make less biased decisions and why each step is so important.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council share the upcoming technology trends they're most excited about and how they plan to jump on board. No matter what industry you work in, staying on top of the latest tech trends can give your business a competitive edge. By implementing cutting-edge technology, you'll not only streamline your processes, but also differentiate yourself from your competitors. As successful business owners, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council stay on top of the latest business trends, including those in tech. Below, they share 12 big tech trends they’re most excited about and how they plan to leverage them. Follow their recommended steps to take advantage of these trends, too.

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Everyone wants to be successful, but not many people understand what success brings with it or what it means exactly. Success is a personal thing -- where one person may see achievement, another may see settling for what they can get. Success is a goal, and there are many roads to get there, but not everyone's version of success is the same. So, while typical entrepreneurial resources such as business books or self-development webinars might offer a textbook definition to success, there's a lot they leave unsaid when it comes to the personal aspects of succeeding. Below, 11 experts from Young Entrepreneur Council share some of the things they see in successful professionals that no guide bothers to explain when you're on the road to success.

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A truly timeless brand sticks with people for a long time, no matter how many trends emerge or how the world around them changes. Not every business ever reaches this stature, but it’s something your brand should work and strive toward if you want to be memorable. To that end, there are a few steps you can take to make your brand feel timeless as you’re developing it. We asked members of Young Entrepreneur Council to share the key to creating a timeless brand. Here’s what they had to say.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council explain which qualities a hiring manager should seek out in a senior creative director who's working on both print and web campaigns. The right senior creative director can have a huge influence on your business’s marketing and ad campaigns. When seeking someone for this role, it’s important to consider whether they have the right skills to bridge the print and digital gap: If they came from the print world, their thought processes and experiences may be different than someone who’s only worked in digital communications. That’s why we asked 11 members of Young Entrepreneur Council what specific traits and qualities to look for when you’re hiring a senior creative director who will be working on both print and web campaigns. Here’s what they believe you should seek out, and why these qualifications are different than if the creative director were hired for one media type over the other.

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Many companies that shifted to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic have helped employees eliminate their daily commute. However, some professionals do still need to make regular trips into the office – and spending time commuting to work can feel stressful and counterproductive. If you use your time wisely, though, there are plenty of ways to maximize your commute and make it a productive one. We asked 10 members of Young Entrepreneur Council how they maximize their commute time and how it helps them in their professional and personal lives. They shared their insights with us below.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss some of the past year's most pressing technology concerns and how we should address them. The past year has seen unprecedented changes to public health and the global economy. Many facets of daily life and work moved into the digital realm, and the shift highlighted some underlying business technology issues that are getting in the way of productivity, communication and security. As successful business leaders, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council understand how important it is to have functional, up-to-date technology. That's why we asked a panel of them to share what they view as the biggest business tech problem of the past year. Here are the issues they're concerned about and the innovations they believe will help solve them.  

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When a business advertises for a position, you can be assured that there will be a flood of applications coming in. If you're a young entrepreneur with a small company, you'll be doing most of the application sorting yourself. The first step is determining which applications suit the character, demeanor, and qualifications you're looking for. Unfortunately, not everyone has the time and budget to dedicate to this kind of task. Luckily, there are ways to speed up your sorting process while still allowing the most suitable applications to go through to the in-depth perusal stage. Eight contributors to Young Entrepreneur Council examine the techniques they use to sort applications when they have limited time and budget.

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Whether you’re job hunting or starting a business, it’s important to play to your strengths throughout your career. By zeroing in your natural interests and aptitudes, you’re more likely to find the right opportunities and achieve success. That’s why it’s a good idea to continually refine and improve upon your core strengths. To that end, we asked members of Young Entrepreneur Council how they recommend capitalizing on those existing strengths and making them even stronger. They shared their best strategies below.

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Word-of-mouth marketing is one of the best ways to achieve organic growth for your business. Having people advocate for your services can help you attract new customers and increase loyalty among your existing customer base. However, it isn’t always easy to generate referrals naturally, especially as a service provider. That’s why we asked 10 members of Young Entrepreneur Council how a service-based business can use digital marketing to drive more positive word-of-mouth. Their recommendations are below.

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Today's world is more stressful than ever. The fast-paced, always-on environment many of us operate in is enough to cause anxiety among even the most organized leaders. Throw in the current global pandemic and an economic recession, and it's no surprise that many people are experiencing doubts and fears in their personal and professional lives. While stress is an inevitable part of life, it doesn't have to consume you and get in the way of your success. That's why we asked 15 members of Young Entrepreneur Council how they manage to overcome the mental and emotional stressors of living and working in the modern world. Try their practical, actionable strategies the next time you're feeling overwhelmed at work or at home.

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When you start a business, one of the first questions you ask yourself if you should be doing this alone, or if you need help. This decision determines whether your company is a solopreneurship or a partnership. Some entrepreneurs work better by themselves, but others realize the benefit of having a partner. In some operations, it's beneficial to have someone you can rely on to share the burden. In the most fortunate cases, you and your partners complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses, ensuring a better success rate for your business. To help business leaders who are still on the fence, eight experts from Young Entrepreneur Council examine the significant factors to explore when deciding whether to take on a business partner.

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Motivation works cyclically. There are moments when you feel as though you can take on the world, punctuated by moments when you feel like it makes no sense to do anything. If you've been feeling unmotivated at work recently, you're not alone. Workers worldwide go through the same moments of "boom and bust" when it comes to their motivation. However, one of the hallmarks of a successful entrepreneur is to power through those feelings. The success of an enterprise hinges on its leader being able to escape the doldrums and remain focused throughout their projects. Here, 11 associates of Young Entrepreneur Council share some of the methods they use to remain motivated and stay at the top of their game as industry-leading entrepreneurs.

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Despite the numerous digital communications channels available today, email is still one of the best ways to get and stay in touch with your customers. Email marketing is notorious for its high return on investment, and with nearly 4 billion active email users, there’s a huge potential audience waiting to receive your messages. However, email is only effective if you follow a well-planned strategy -- one that doesn’t involve bombarding your subscribers or sending sales pitch after sales pitch. If you want to improve your email marketing efforts, follow these 10 tried-and-true methods recommended by the members of Young Entrepreneur Council.

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Entrepreneurship is a journey that no one is fully prepared to take. No matter how much time you spent researching and learning things before you started, there are always things you’ll wish you had done differently in hindsight. While you can’t prepare for every possible scenario, you can arm yourself for some common challenges and circumstances by learning from other’s experiences. We asked members of Young Entrepreneur Council what they wished they knew before they launched their businesses and what difference it would have made. Ten of them shared their insights below.

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Congratulations! You’ve just had a great pitch meeting with an investor. But holding an investor’s attention during your pitch is only the beginning of securing a deal. The real challenge lies in staying top-of-mind afterward.  To ensure a lasting good impression, you’ll want to keep the conversation going with investors post-pitch. A panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members shared effective ways to continue the discussion after your meeting.

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Many businesses see a major shift in their success once they establish a website that lets them provide new information and tools to their customers. However, some may see even greater success if they develop a mobile app. But how do you determine whether an app is right for your business? And once you make that leap, how do you decide what to put on the app? To help you answer these questions, we asked the members of Young Entrepreneur Council to lend their expertise. They share 10 clear signs your business needs a mobile app, as well as how to figure out your app’s must-have features.

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Free advertising has leveled up, as there are now more alternatives to paid ads than ever. The world's economy has taken a massive hit, which means that companies will be looking to cut down on different expenses to stay afloat. Unfortunately, many of these businesses will look at their advertising budget when considering what to cut. While advertising can be a significant expense to a business, it's necessary if the company intends to reach out to new and existing customers.  Eradicating advertising could spell disaster for a company, but luckily, there are ways to reach out to clients even if you cut the ad budget completely. Several channels exist that businesses can explore that give them a chance to advertise without the added budget. Many companies overlook them because they associate "free" with "low quality," but that isn't necessarily the case. Businesses concerned about spending on marketing and advertising should explore these channels since they offer a unique way to interact with clients.  Even if your advertising budget hasn't been slashed, these channels still provide massive value for money if you use them right. Twenty associates of YEC discuss some of the best channels and explain how they can help boost the signal of an advertising campaign, even though they cost nothing or very little to use.

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Businesses are increasingly focusing on wellness in the workplace to increase employee productivity and overall satisfaction. Choosing a wellness program for your company is an important first step, but you’ll also need to ensure that it runs smoothly and that your employees get the most out of it. We asked the members of Young Entrepreneur Council to share their best strategies for leaders looking to successfully implement wellness programs in their organizations. Below, they share 10 ways you can ensure your company’s initiative goes off without a hitch.

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Social media is constantly evolving, as are the ways people use it. What was once primarily used for connecting with old friends and family has morphed into a platform for sharing perspectives and launching campaigns. As an entrepreneur, it’s important to be aware of these changes so you can adapt accordingly. Your business’s social presence can make or break your reputation. That's why we asked a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members how they keep up with evolving social media functions. They offered their best tips for using such changes to engage your audience.

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17 professionals from YEC share the best websites for locating fresh talent. There has been a change in how companies approach the idea of outsourcing. In recent years, businesses have grown less fond of doing everything in-house and more open to hiring freelancers to lend them a hand. This new reality in the world of employment has spawned a massive explosion of websites that cater specifically to professionals providing talent to companies. Searching for local expertise, in particular, can help to enhance the region and support the local community. Additionally, local contractors are easy to get in touch with, either though message or by direct phone call. Occasionally, you may need someone familiar with the region you're operating in, which is why outsourcing to a local freelancer is the right call. Many companies overlook local talent because they have the misconception that imported talent is automatically better. Knowing where to look to find the best in local talent might encourage you to reconsider your opinion on hiring locals to work for your company. Many of these websites offer businesses access to a wide pool of qualified candidates, as well as the possibility of fine-tuning their search so as to identify the most relevant candidates. Filters you can get access to include the location (for local or regional talent), ratings, and expertise. All of these are critical factors in determining whether a freelancer or professional will fit the business's needs. However, not all of these websites are built in the same vein. Seventeen professionals from YEC share valuable advice on the best websites for finding outside talent -- local or not – and explain why those resources are vital to their own businesses.

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Helping your community doesn't mean that your need to dedicate your company to philanthropic works. Even profit-based companies can give back to their communities in a significant way if they start incorporating philanthropy into their company culture or develop a community-focused approach to business operations. The company culture shapes how employees view the business and interact with each other. By promoting philanthropy, a business seeks to leverage its employees' knowledge and experience in a unique way that will build the business's reputation and do good within the community. To help, these ten experts from Young Entrepreneur Council share some of the techniques they use to build philanthropy into their company culture and explain why this matters.

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Great leaders don’t simply tell their team what to do; they lead by example and “walk the talk.” Staff members are much more willing to listen to instructions and respect leadership if their boss is doing the same.  So what behaviors are best for encouraging strong work ethic, relationship-building and leadership development? We asked a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members what habits leaders can adopt to set a good example for their team. Read on for their best recommendations.

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Business legal matters can be intimidating, but these tools can help you understand and streamlining the process. Starting a business means dealing with some standard legal matters, like registering your business and complying with tax regulations. This can be overwhelming for new entrepreneurs, especially if they're not familiar with these legal processes. While it's always advisable to consult an experienced business attorney, there are countless resources and online tools available that make it easier to find the information you need. To help you, we asked the members of Young Entrepreneur Council which tools they recommend to make the legal side of business less intimidating for small business owners. Try one of these suggestions when you're faced with common business legal tasks.  

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Learning from others is vital to your success. It's a widely held belief that experience is the world's best teacher. Life lessons, both in and out of business, usually stem from experiences. However, as people, we can't expect to have all the experiences we need to figure out what to do in a particular situation. That's why learning from the experiences of others is such a vital skill for an entrepreneur. If you end up in a situation where you're not sure how to proceed, you might want to ask other, more experienced persons in the industry. To help newer entrepreneurs, these 14 experts from Young Entrepreneur Council have offered to discuss the lessons they learned from their earlier positions and why they were crucial to success.

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Use a lead scoring system to help identify your strongest leads. 

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Having a side hustle is a great way to develop a creative outlet outside of your regular career. However, these projects can consume a lot of your time, energy and money. That's why it's important to consider the required commitment and effort – and the potential return – before going all-in on your idea. To help you determine if your side hustle is worth pursuing, we asked a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members how an aspiring entrepreneur can test the idea's viability. Ask yourself these 10 questions to find out.

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It takes more than just raising your voice Getting noticed in a large group of people is already hard. However, when it comes to a professional setting, getting noticed requires more than just shouting above the din. Large gatherings in business can already be intimidating, and making a point heard is a larger challenge. For the professional who wants to stand out, it takes a bit of skill and maneuvering to get into the spotlight. To help less experienced individuals navigate a crowded room, these 11 members of Young Entrepreneur Council examine a few proven strategies and explore why they are so good at getting you noticed in a group setting.

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Customers tend to remember experiences, so your reputation after a positive or negative one will be likely to stick.

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Rather than just focusing on the sale, look at your target audience and the challenges they’re facing.

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It's wishful thinking to hope that you'll never face a reputation crisis within your company, so be prepared.

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As an entrepreneur, it’s useful to have strong business acumen -- an almost intuitive skill that can and must be honed. However, good business sense alone isn’t enough; there are several other traits an entrepreneur needs in order to succeed. As some of the top leaders in their respective industries, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council know what skills are required to succeed in the business world. Below, they share 10 underrated skills that all entrepreneurs should possess, but often don't.

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Marketing ROI involves more than just looking at what you get for what you give.

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Look at your brand voice as a dynamic tool and get your team members and customers involved.

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Look at how each campaign improves your brand in the long run.

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Build authentic relationships with each and every customer.

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Don't resort to spammy backlinking strategies.

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Give your sales rep all the information they need to do their job effectively and ensure you walk away with the right product or service.

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Although new priorities may come up throughout the day, a to-do list gives you an opportunity to see just what you need to do.

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Your content strategy needs to serve a purpose.

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Bad content marketing and SEO practices can smother your business growth before it really gets started.

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To create successful Google Ads campaigns, you really need to understand how the system works, as well as how much it will realistically cost.

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Calculating LTV consistently allows you to evaluate if your marketing is moving in the right direction.

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When you apply the growth formula to your marketing strategy, you might be surprised at the results.

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How can you most successfully get your content in front of your target audience?

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A door-always-open policy has far-reaching advantages.